Greg Dulcich is suddenly the kind of player Broncos fans are being asked to picture in a very different uniform, with a very different role.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler laid out a 2026 forecast that would have sounded wild not long ago: Dulcich could not only break out for the Miami Dolphins, but also finish as one of Malik Willis’s favorite targets and possibly lead the team in catches.
“It wouldn't shock me if tight end Greg Dulcich flirts with the team lead in catches. Achane, coming off a 67-reception season, is a prime candidate, too. But word is that Dulcich developed a chemistry with Willis in the spring and it has carried over to the summer.
On the day I visited, Dulcich had a nice catch over the middle in team drills. He posted 222 receiving yards over the last five games in 2025.
Dulcich showed promise early in his career but battled severe hamstring issues. Now recovered from that, he could be a breakout candidate in Year 5."
- Jeremy Fowler, ESPN
For Broncos Country, that kind of projection is tough to digest. Dulcich once looked like he might become the “Joker” in Sean Payton’s offense, but the promise never really turned into dependable production. He flashed as a rookie, yet the bigger issue was always the same: availability.
Denver took Dulcich in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but injuries kept wrecking the plan. By the start of the 2024 season, after more injuries and uneven play, the Broncos finally moved on from him. That was an unusual call for a team that generally does not give up quickly on its higher draft picks.
Dulcich later got another chance with the New York Giants, both during that season and again in the 2025 offseason, but New York cut him. He then surfaced with the Dolphins, played in 10 games last season, and did enough to land another contract in Miami this offseason.
Now the former Bronco is being discussed as a possible centerpiece of the Dolphins’ passing game and a piece of their long-term rebuild. Fowler’s report points to his spring chemistry with Willis and notes that the connection has held through the summer.
That’s where the sting sits for Denver. Sean Payton was complimentary about Dulcich early in his Broncos tenure, but the fit never lasted. Dulcich’s inability to stay healthy, block consistently, or make a real impact in the passing game during the 2024 season wore out the patience that once existed.
The Broncos also haven’t made a habit of cutting bait that early on draft picks before the fourth year of their rookie deals. Even Drew Sanders, who has bounced around positions and has had his own injury problems, is still at Broncos training camp in his fourth season.
With Payton often saying he doesn’t want to see a player leave and then succeed somewhere else, Dulcich’s potential breakout in Year 5 is exactly the sort of scenario Denver would rather not have staring back at it. And with no real clarity at tight end, it only sharpens the question of why the Broncos still can’t get that spot to produce in the passing game.
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Sean Payton did not sound overly alarmed afterward, saying Wattenberg will be evaluated and is expected to be fine. Even so, the timing matters. Any issue with the center spot tends to ripple through the entire offense, and the Broncos will be watching closely to see whether this is just a brief camp hiccup or something that lingers as the work gets more physical. [Read more 🡒]